JEFFERSON CITY - For the second consecutive month, the Missouri Department of Transportation is canceling its bid opening, originally planned for March 26, due to concerns about federal funding levels.

When MoDOT canceled the Feb. 26 bid opening, it announced future bid openings were contingent on Congressional action to fix highway and bridge funding. Since then, the failure to address the $12 billion annual shortfall will make it impossible to deliver many needed improvements that were scheduled for the 2010 construction season. For Missouri, nearly $243 million worth of city, county and state highway and bridge projects are at risk.

"Because MoDOT's federal funding stream for the remainder of this fiscal year is still uncertain, canceling the March bid opening is the most prudent decision we can make," MoDOT Director Pete Rahn said. "MoDOT will not seek bids on future projects until the funding shortfall is corrected."

MoDOT is working with its statewide planning partners to develop contingent schedules for future bid openings and will announce those schedules once the federal funding level is defined.

The February and March bid openings included approximately $130 million worth of highway and bridge projects.